Books about India and Movies Set There
For me, India is a hard country to describe. Usually I just use the word “overwhelming”…because for a young lady who had spent her whole life in the United States and Europe, it was.
There were so many people, it was so hot, I saw so many bugs, everything was so spicy, there was so much poverty, it was so loud–it was overwhelming. But it was so beautiful, the people were so friendly, the energy was so powerful, and it was all so colorful.
I learned a lot during my three weeks there–I came to appreciate just how large the country is and how varied its cities and regions are. I saw just how much the country is still influenced by Britain even though it gained its independence in 1947. I very personally discovered the power of Eastern medicine and spoke with many about their efforts to find the balance between Eastern and Western and the ancient and the modern.
With a country like that, there are MANY books and movies to choose from (hopefully you’ve heard of Bollywood…I did *not* try and capture those here). Below is the list we came up with to give you some variety, but I’m sure we missed some good ones. Let us know which ones you think we missed!
Ten Books About India
A Suitable Boy: A Novel
Author: Vikram Seth
Genre: Fiction, Romance
Places Featured: India
If you enjoy detailed family sagas, you’ll enjoy this one (warning: it’s over 1,300 pages). A Suitable Boy follows four families in the early 1950s in newly independent India. Focused on the story of Mrs. Rupa Mehra and the search for “a suitable boy” to marry her daughter, Lata. It’s focused on families and romance, but it also offers insight into class, money, and Indian culture. (If the book is too long, the BBC did create a television series based on it, so you could just watch that.)
Around India in 80 Trains
Author: Monisha Rajesh
Genre: Nonfiction, Biography/Memoir
Places Featured: India
Monisha Rajesh was born in England, but her parents are both Indian and they lived there for when she was a child, so she knows a thing or two about India and its culture. It was still an eye-opening challenge for her to explore the country a la Jules Verne on 80 different train trips. She shares those experiences in this well-written honest and funny book about train travel and India.
City of Djinns: A Year in Delhi
Author: William Dalrymple
Genre: Nonfiction, Historical
Places Featured: New Delhi, India
Any list of books about India has to include William Dalrymple–a Scottish historian who moved to India because he was so fascinated with the area. He’s written eight books about the region, so it was hard to select just one for the list. But we went with City of Djinns because it’s the one that won him the Thomas Cook Travel Book Award and it’s the one focused on India’s capital city. He studies all facets of the bustling city throughout history with an open-minded understanding eye. Definitely recommended if you’re headed to Delhi.
Freedom at Midnight
Author: Dominique Lapierre and Larry Collins
Genre: Nonfiction, Historical, War & Military
Places Featured: India
Freedom at Midnight is the extremely well-researched telling of India’s independence. It’s a good example of how history can be interesting and engaging, especially when it’s a complicated story–the leaders are written like characters and the story is told like a saga (which it was). Some say the book is too skewed to the British side of things, so do keep that in mind.
Holy Cow: An Indian Adventure
Author: Sarah Macdonald
Genre: Nonfiction, Biography/Memoir, Comedy, Religion/Spiritual
Places Featured: India
It can be difficult to describe the experience of India (especially Delhi) to Westerners, but Sarah Macdonald, an Australian journalist who moved to India when her boyfriend got a job in New Delhi, does so in her book Holy Cow in a really funny, but thorough and thoughtful way. She travels all over the country meeting many interesting people, exploring different areas, and really trying to understand the spiritual culture of this diverse country. Yes, it’s a white woman’s take on the country, but it’s enjoyable and thought-provoking.
Kept: An American Househusband in India
Author: Gregory E. Buford
Genre: Nonfiction, Biography/Memoir, Comedy
Places Featured: India
We’ve already included a few expat-views on India in this list (we completely acknowledge we probably included too many) but we felt Kept was an important one to include because it comes from the perspective of a man who was the one who followed his wife to India, where he, of course, finds himself navigating a new normal and going on many adventures. He and his wife also decide to adopt an Indian child which adds a new dimension to his experience and understanding of the country. It’s funny, but heartwarming.
Midnight’s Children
Author: Salman Rushdie
Genre: Fiction, Fairy Tales, Folk Tales, Legends & Mythology
Places Featured: India
Salman Rushdie is another author who almost *has* to be included on a list of books set in India. Midnight’s Children was his first notable book and won him the Booker Prize (it was also named the best book to have won the prize on the prize’s 25th and 40th anniversaries–it’s that good). It’s the story of a boy born at the stroke of midnight as India declares its independence, which seems to give him a special connection to the country as he finds his own life mirroring that of his nation.
Shantaram: A Novel
Author: Gregory David Roberts
Genre: Novel
Places Featured: Bombay, India
Shantaram is a love-it or hate-it novel, though most people love it (I will warn: it’s also another long one). It’s the story of Lin, a convicted felon in Australia who escapes prison and finds himself in Bombay, hiding from the authorities and eventually creating a life there. He meets many people–locals, tourists, and expats–and lives an extraordinary life. He eventually becomes involved in Mumbai’s underworld and he must struggle again to find himself. There’s some controversy about the autobiographical nature of the book which is worth reading up on if you find yourself one of the ones who love it.
The Henna Artist
Author: Alka Joshi
Genre: Fiction, Drama
Places Featured: Jaipur, India
The Henna Artist is a complex story centered around Lakshmi, a sought-after henna artist in Jaipur, India in the 1950s working on creating the life of her dreams. Her job brings her into the homes of her clients where she learns intimate details of their lives, but she must tread carefully to maintain her status in the challenging caste-system of India. Her life becomes even more precarious when several facets of her past become part of her present and she is forced to come to terms with who she used to be, who she is now, and who she wants to be in the future. (I consider this one of the best books I’ve read in 2020; check out our Travel Books and Movies Book Review on The Henna Artist for more. We also created a Book Club Guide for The Henna Artist because there’s just so much to talk about!)
The White Tiger: A Novel
Author: Aravind Adiga
Genre: Fiction
Places Featured: Bangalore, India
The White Tiger is the story of Balram Halwai and his life, written in his own words in a letter to the President of China who is visiting Bangalore. Balram tells his story of starting as a driver and servant to a wealthy Indian family and working hard to become an entrepreneur and businessman in his own right. While sharing his story, he also shares his thoughts on philosophy, the Indian caste system, religion, and life in India.
Honorable Mention Books About India:
- Queering India: Same-Sex Love and Eroticism in Indian Culture and Society by Ruth Vanita
- Sacred Games by Vikram Chandra
- The Girl and the Tiger by Paul Rosolie
- The God of Small Things by Arundhati Roy, Sneha Mathan, et al.
- Mother Land by Leah Franqui
Bonus Children’s Books set in India:
- Ticket to India by N.H. Senzai
- T is for Taj Mahal: An India Alphabet by Varsha Bajaj and Robert Crawford
- Ganesha’s Sweet Tooth by Sanjay Patel and Emily Haynes
- Finders Keepers? A True Story in India by Robert Arnett and Smita Turakhia
Ten Movies set in India
Pather Panchali (1955)
Rating: N/A
Genre: Drama
Places Featured: Bengal, India
Pather Panchali is the first movie in a series called the Apu Trilogy. This movie tells the story of young Apu and his sister Durga, children from a poor family living in a small village. But, although they are poor, they still find joy and love where they can. It was very influential for Indian cinema and is often included in lists about greatest films of all time.
Passage to India (1984)
Rating: PG
Genre: Drama
Places Featured: India
Set in the 1920s in a fictional town in India, A Passage to India (based on a novel of the same name by E.M. Forster) highlights the divide between the British elite and the local population when a British woman and her future mother-in-law visit India. The two groups are pushed even further apart when there’s an incident and a confrontation that affects them all. It was nominated for many awards and is a thought-provoking film with some wonderful cinematography and even better acting.
Monsoon Wedding (2001)
Rating: R
Genre: Drama, Romance
Places Featured: New Delhi, India
At the core of the plot of Monsoon Wedding is the arranged marriage between Aditi and Hemant. As is usual in India, the bridge and groom don’t know each other well, the wedding will be a BIG to-do, and there are a lot of extended family members (and all the drama that comes with that) in town. This one also won many awards and is a sweet captivating fun movie.
The Darjeeling Limited (2007)
Rating: R
Genre: Comedy, Drama, Religion/Spiritual
Places Featured: India
A cult classic, The Darjeeling Limited is a comedy for those with a certain kind of humor. It’s the story of three estranged brothers (played by Owen Wilson, Adrien Brody, and Jason Schwartzman) who take a spiritual journey of sorts together on a train through India one year after their father’s funeral. Viewers are treated to some amazing scenery in India as the brothers begin to reconnect–it’s not just a backdrop, though; it adds to the story.
Jodhaa Akbar (2008)
Rating: N/A
Genre: Drama, Romance, Historical
Places Featured: South Africa, India
Jodhaa Akbar is an epic love story set in 16th century India about Jalaluddin Mohammad Akbar, the Mugal Emperor of Hindustan, and the Rajput princess, Jodhaa–it was a marriage and an alliance that changed the course of the nation. It’s a LONG movie, but it’s full of well-developed characters, beautiful scenery, and a story that keeps your attention.
Slumdog Millionaire (2008)
Rating: R
Genre: Drama, Romance
Places Featured: Mumbai, India
Slumdog Millionaire might be one of the most famous (modern) movies set in India. It won the Academy Award in 2009 for Best Picture (it also won seven others) and was very popular. There’s some controversy with it, of course, but most would say it’s a heartwarming story that shows the poverty of India and the thrill of achieving your dreams. Dev Patel shines as the young Jamal who grew up in the slums of Mumbai but doesn’t give up on hope, love, and faith. Get ready for an emotional, but oh-so-worth-it, ride.
The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel (2011)
Rating: PG-13
Genre: Comedy, Drama
Places Featured: India
With an all-star cast (including Judi Dench, Maggie Smith, Bill Nighy, and Dev Patel), The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel follows several recent British retirees who choose to live out their days in India at the promising Marigold Hotel where all their needs are catered to in an exotic (and much more affordable) location. But, as we all know, life cannot be that easy and the retirees are met with a dilapidated hotel and culture shock–each person has their own journey and their own lesson to learn. (This delightful movie is based on a book by Deborah Moggach, which is very different. Both would be great for a book club or movie club, though–check out our discussion guide for The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel, we also have a movie review and book review.)
Blue Skies, Green Waters, Red Earth (2013)
Rating: Not rated
Genre: Drama, Action/Adventure
Places Featured: India
Inspired by The Motorcycle Diaries (another travel classic), this Indian movie follows best friends Kasi and Suni as they travel by motorcycle from Kerala to Nagaland, searching for Kasi’s love, Assi. It’s a trip full of dangers, challenges, fears, and faith. It can be difficult to find on mainstream viewing platforms, but has become somewhat of a cult classic in India and for a good reason. (This was also on our list of movies about self-discovery.)
The Lunchbox (2013)
Rating: PG
Genre: Drama, Romance
Places Featured: Mumbai, India
The dabbawalas are part of a complex lunchbox delivery (and return) system that delivers hot lunches from homes and restaurants to people at work in India, especially in Mumbai. In this movie, there’s a mix-up with one of those deliveries and a lunchbox…with a note…meant to be delivered to Ila’s husband accidentally ends up being delivered to Saajan, a recent widower, and a meaningful friendship is formed… It’s a sweet subtle movie.
Million Dollar Arm (2014)
Rating: PG
Genre: Drama, Sports & Recreation
Places Featured: Mumbai and Agra, India
Sometimes you just need a good heartwarming inspiring movie…and sometimes that movie is made even better when you know it’s based on a true story. Million Dollar Arm (starring Jon Hamm!) is based on the true story of an American sports agent who has the great idea to find the next big stars of Major League Baseball on the cricket pitch in India. He finds two players (Rinku Singh and Dinesh Patel) who fit the bill…but who then struggle with life in the United States and impressing the sports agents. A lot of the movie takes place in the United States, but there’s still a lot of India (and the only movie on this list to explicitly feature the Taj Mahal, believe it or not) and it’s just such a good movie.
Bonus Children’s Movies set in India:
- A Little Princess (1995)
- The Jungle Book (2016)
